[The absorbed dose to the gonads in adult patients undergoing defecographic study by digital or traditional radiographic imaging].
BACKGROUND
Doses to the gonads and skin of adult people were evaluated during the study of functional anorectal disorders with defecography.


METHODS
The radiologic procedure relies heavily on fluoroscopy with lateral and anteroposterior projections for a mean time of 2.4 minutes; the stages of interest are recorded on a mean of 6 films. Absorbed doses to the gonads and to the skin were measured with LiF thermoluminescence dosimeters placed inside and outside the anthropomorphic "Rando" phantom. The administered doses during the different examination phases (anteroposterior and lateral fluoroscopy and radiography) were measured. Digital and conventional radiography were compared.


RESULTS
Gonadal absorbed doses in a standard DSI examination were: 5.0 +/- .1 mGy to the right ovary, 25.2 +/- .7 mGy to the left ovary and 2.7 +/- .1 mGy to testes when at the margin of the irradiation field. Doses to gonads and skin are about 15% higher when the examination is performed with conventional radiography.


CONCLUSIONS
The considerable radiation dose to ovaries shows that defecography can cause radiation-induced genetic effects in women younger than 40 years with a probability of the order of one thousandth of the natural incidence genetic defects.


CONCLUSIONS
Defecography must be correctly indicated in fertile women, because of the relatively high absorbed dose to ovaries. In fact, the ovaries absorb about twice as many radiations during defecography than radiologic examinations of the lower gastrointestinal tract.
Zonca
G
G
Divisione di Fisica Sanitaria, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milano.
De Thomatis
A
A
Marchesini
R
R
Sala
S
S
Bozzini
B
B
Cozzi
G
G
Milella
M
M
Salvetti
M
M
D000042:Absorption; D000328:Adult; D019841:Defecography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010053:Ovary / Q000528:radiation effects*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D012867:Skin / Q000528:radiation effects; D013737:Testis / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013819:Thermoluminescent Dosimetry
Dose assorbita dalle gonadi dei pazienti adulti sottoposti a studio defecografico con acquisizione radiografica digitale o tradizionale.